Barbara Mason, Ph.D., has been appointed the first recipient of the Pearson Family Chair, a newly endowed position in alcohol and addiction research at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road.
The chair assures that the team Mason assembles carries out objectives. The research will directly have an impact on people in recovery from alcohol and drug dependency.
“As part of the Pearson Center, the chair gives me the freedom to conduct early proof-of-concept studies and quickly build on preclinical and clinical findings,” Mason said. “It is work that could be delayed for years if we had to wait for National Institutes of Health funding, or never done at all.”
The Pearson Family Chair was established in 2003 with a gift from philanthropist and entrepreneur Mark Pearson. Pearson also established the Pearson Center for Alcoholism and Addiction Research at Scripps Research.
The Pearson Center is co-directed by Mason and George Koob, Ph.D.
In 2003, Pearson said it was his hope that by generating greater public awareness of and additional financial support for research, future generations of families would be spared the devastating effects of alcoholism and addiction.
The recent creation of an endowed chair is unusual in the field of alcohol and addiction research.
Mason said she thinks other philanthropists and academic institutions will take notice.
“For over 20 consecutive years, my work has been funded primarily by competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health,” she said. “The Pearson Family Chair will provide a solid base of support, allowing me to focus more on new treatments for alcoholism and addiction than on pursuing funding.”
The Pearson Center’s mission is to seek to complement traditional treatments for alcoholism, such as group therapy and psychological counseling, by better understanding the physiology of the brain.
Pearson Center researchers have been investigating the use of new compounds to reduce the neurological effects of alcohol, to diminish excessive intake and to develop methods to prevent relapse.
Mason had direct input on the development of the drug Acamprosate (Campral) in 2004 that is now manufactured privately, but used in this current focus and in addiction treatment.
“Our position is that medication is not a cure, a silver bullet or the whole solution,” Mason said. “However, it can offer support while the person consolidates an alcohol-free lifestyle. This applies to cannabis and tobacco as well, although these are usually less immediately life-threatening.”
The medication could possibly offer an alternative requiring less inpatient support, because not all people suffering from addiction have the time, money or insurance coverage for the recommended 28 days in inpatient rehabilitation, she added. According to Mason, about 50 percent suffer from relapse three months after completion.
Mason’s lab at The Pearson Center will focus on human studies while Koob oversees preclinical work. The two began collaborating years ago.
“The generosity and foresight of Mr. Pearson in establishing the Pearson Center and Pearson Chair are greatly appreciated and have provided the foundation for an exciting research program dedicated to the development of novel treatments for addiction,” Koob said.
Mason said that alcohol and drug addiction are enormous and poorly understood public health concerns.
“Scientists at TSRI have made great progress in identifying neurobiological bases of these disorders,” she said. “My laboratory works to translate this information into medications that support recovery by normalizing brain systems that have become dysregulated due to long-term, heavy substance use. The role of neurobiology in addiction and its potential role in recovery have tended to be overlooked by the treatment community.”
Mason said that it is hard to find anyone not touched by the disease.
“There’s a lot of gratification in providing support to people who are seeking help and in seeing how the benefits of the work affect the community,” she said.
Mason noted the society-wide impact of alcoholism, especially given the devastating consequences of drunk driving and fetal alcohol syndrome.
Most recently, Mason noted that the Pearson Center has helped bring forward several anti-relapse medications to the patent stage.
“This increases the likelihood of commercial development, which is necessary to move drugs from the laboratory out into the public domain,” she said. “Mark’s commitment to us is wonderful. Mr. Pearson is an extremely thoughtful and bright individual who has consistently demonstrated his commitment to our program of alcohol and addiction research at TSRI.
“He is a model citizen, using his personal resources to further understanding and recovery from an insidious disease that affects a great many individuals in our community.”
Mason is optimistic about the future, citing a decrease in the risk of relapse and an expansion of opportunities for recovery.
“Recovery will always require motivation and dedication on the part of the individual, but the work of the Pearson Center allows the development of more resources for an individual to use to maintain a successful recovery,” she said.
Mason joined TSRI’s team in 2002, moving from a faculty position at the University of Miami.
Pearson is in Silicon Valley commercial real estate and is a managing partner of CresaPartners, a national corporate real estate company with 26 offices.
For more information on the Pearson Center for Alcoholism and Addiction Research, visit http://www.pearsoncenter.org/.
TSRI is an independent, non-profit biomedical research organization established in 1961.